Cloud Island
by levy-athan
Summary: They never included 'running for your life' as part of the job description. This is fraud, I tell you.


**A/N:** TBH, expect plotholes. XD

Set at around the same time as the first book. Enjoy ~ :P

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><p>.<p>

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_**Cloud Island**_

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**January 1988**

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In the past few days, it seemed that a mobile phone has permanently replaced Leo Watson's right ear. The guy in question is a twenty-three year old _'man'_ (as he liked to call himself, but he was pretty much still a _boy, _really, with the way he was carrying on with his life) and fresh out of the good life. And he defines 'good life' as spending weeks—no, _months, _jumping from one odd job to another and ignoring the 5 foot 2 Asian lady (his mom is Korean) that was constantly telling him to go fix his life up _or else._

He leaned towards the window and admired the deep blue waters that spread underneath him. The ocean always amazed him—as long as he tried not to imagine the miles and miles of suffocating space he has to go through if he ever fell through it. He likened falling to drowning—except that unlike the latter, you'd likely be dead before you reach the bottom. Now when he took a closer look, it didn't seem entirely blue anymore. It was dark blue here, a bit of darker blue there, and greenish-blue over at the side, and pale yellowish-blue in the distance flecked with white light before it blended in with the horizon.

Finally, the person he was calling decided to pick up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ma?"

"Leo," the voice on the other end practically dripped with displeasure.

"Nice to hear from you, too, Ma," He said, an amused grin spreading on his face, "How's Hazel?"

"She's fine. Better than the last time you saw her. And where are you now? I hope you're not locked behind bars as we speak,"

"Oh, I'm locked up. Locked up inside a helicopter, staring at the best view in the entire goddamn planet, yeah,"

Silence. Then—

"I hope you're not being exported to some remote prison in the middle of nowhere, Leo Watson,"

"You mean Alcatraz Island_, _Ma?"

"Hm, on second thought, a week or two there could possibly straighten you up, you idiot son,"

"I love you too, Ma,"

"Likewise. But seriously speaking, where are you right now?" There was finally a worried edge in her voice. Leo smiled.

"I wasn't joking about the helicopter part, Ma. But I'm not heading to Alcatraz. I'm actually somewhere above the Pacific Ocean. Wait—nevermind, I suck at map reading. I'm heading over to a private island about 120 miles off the coast of Costa Rica—"

"Costa Rica?" She wasn't yelling, no, but her voice was terribly calm and firm and Leo knew her perfect, pale complexion was probably starting to turn blotchy red right at the moment.

"Yeah, Ma, I took a job from uh—InGen Corp. International Genetics Incorporated is the full name. I think. I'll check later on, but, uh, I can assure you that the job is perfectly legal and safe and you wouldn't _believe _the starting pay! They're hiring locals from the nearby Costa Rican villages, too,"

"Did you show them your empty resume?"

Leo groaned, "_Ma. _I'm not going to work in a freaking laboratory. I'm supposed to be, uh, some sort of park personnel that's going to be in charge of facility maintenance. Cleaning. Stuff like that. Or maybe opening gates for tourists."

"—tourists?"

"It's a resort, Ma. Or a park. Whatever. The head honchos I've talked to seemed to mix those two words up. But InGen's lawyer told me that it's going to be this really impressive resort with state-of-the-art technology. And it's also a sort of wildlife park featuring animals that they think tourists would travel all the way to Costa Rica to see,"

"You're being vague, Leo Watson. Are you sure you're not involving yourself in some shady black market scheme?"

Leo rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry, Ma. But I've been told to keep a few minor details a secret for a while before the resort opens. But the stuff I just told you aren't too far flung from the actual details. But look, I heard the place is gorgeous and maybe once it's done I can have you and Hazel over here for a look,"

"And you have the money for that, idiot son? When you can't even go to a convenience store without plundering my purse?"

Leo sighed, "Right. That happened _one _time and you never let me forget it."

His mother laughed on the other end, "I'm glad you're finally getting warmed up to the idea of getting a real job, though. Like what they say, set your expectations real low especially if you have an idiot son,"

Leo groaned. "_Ma,"_

"But you are absolutely, positively, 180% sure it's safe, legal, and you're not being ripped off by some shady organization pretending to be InGen?"

"Yes, Ma, positive,"

"I'm underlining the word _safe _a billion times,"

"Yes, Ma, I'm a selfish, self-absorbed idiot son, remember? Why would I risk anything of mine? I'm doing this purely for the benefit of _me,_"

He knew his mother well enough to know that she was grinning on the other end of the line.

A fellow newbie employee suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and pointed outside the window. The seemingly endless expanse of water has apparently ended and the faint outlines of an island could barely be seen through the fog enveloping it. Maybe they were heading to Alcatraz after all?

"Hey, Ma, we're almost here! I have to go, okay? It looks pretty cool! I'm going to try and send pictures if I get my hands on a camera,"

.

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"Holy crap," Was Leo Watson's profound, personal reflection as the island finally came into view.

22 square miles of lush green tropical forests appeared from the thick fog like something out of a dream.

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><p><em>TBC <em>


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